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Story:At Fate's End/Locations
Mustang A large country consisting primarily of desert and wasteland, with scarce settlements scattered across the territory. It has the least arable land amount in all the world's countries, and the most extreme temperatures. By day, its sizzling sand dunes see many a shady caravan; by night, its frigid mountains of dust hide thieves, mercenaries, and gangs who bury beneath the earth in search of shelter and strategic places to wage small-scale wars. The number of official towns is small, but the cities that do exist are often large, well-fortified, and bastions of illegal activity, although a large number of the population live in separate diminutive communities. The people of Mustang are a hardy bunch, able to fight and survive in the country's harsh environments with little thought to the matter. Its primary industries are metal-smithing and human capital. Wrangler The capital of Mustang and its largest city, closest to the northern border. A two-tiered city, it has a thriving market exterior and a literal underground of criminal activity. Many citizens do not know of the secretive hideouts and storage places excavated beneath the dunes or chalk up governmental expeditions into the "mines" as mere training exercises, but those in the know are wise to stay away from the place(s). Its entire bureaucracy dedicated to foreign trading and domestic safekeeping, Wrangler is a city eternally split between big-time criminal empires and strong, experienced public servants. Corvette A major industry city, with factories and blacksmiths primarily producing weapons. Despite the relative wealth of the city and the high per capita production values, much of the city's populace is incredibly poor, and a large number of orphanages exist for children thrown out to the streets by parents who cannot afford them. Corvette is unique in that these orphanages specialize in producing two main kinds of adults - those who will become slaves to the industry, or those who move across the country and become professional mercenaries/gunslingers. Diablo A small, poor town dedicated almost entirely to mining. Because it is so far away from Wrangler's stronghold of political power, Diablo is hardly ever touched by actual law-enforcement, and local mercenary bosses have long held a monopolistic grip on the town's affairs and finances. Because the city is supported by the profits of crime, its population tends not to dislike society's black sheep as much as in other places, and the town is a haven for gunslingers trying to make a profit, or even to disappear for a while. Sapphire As a nation with rich history, expansive greenlands, and various rivers, Sapphire is estimated to be the most populated country in Orphanage, and consequently one of the most technologically advanced and architecturally impressive. Farms are scattered throughout the country, giving its populace a prosperous and surplus-filled lifestyle, and large metropolises dot the otherwise tranquil plains with relatively little pollution. These towns, perhaps better described as full-blown city-states, operate independent governments for the most part and receive only small tidbits of actual guidance from Sapphire's bureaucracy. Azure Sapphire's capital city, and also considered to be the world's capital. A large city whose skyline is perpetually dotted with tips of skyscrapers and bright lights, Azure is said to house the world's richest people. Business deals go on day and night that go on to influence all of the world, and constant construction efforts provide the area with constant growth. However, the average population age has been rising as of late, and many worry that the new generation is moving away from institutionalized civilization and seek to explore the world. Azure's government has recently been working on new public projects and cracking down on out-of-city travel restrictions to combat this. Cerulean A huge city centered around an ancient gladiatorial arena. As a bastion for ancient culture and revival, Cerulean is the heart of various cultural flourishes that fill the city's population with creative minds and artists young and old. A recent explosion in the popularity of the gladiatorial arts has increased focus on the once boring pastime, and efforts to capitalize on this trend has led to the Cerulean government bolstering its ancient coliseum to become the world's largest gladiatorial arena. Many millions of dollars were sunk into this expenditure, leading many to hope that the trend lasts long enough to keep the city's budget out of a terrible loss and surefire economic collapse. Cobalt Sapphire's largest city in terms of size, Cobalt actually has less of a population than Azure. Originally a territory of Haven that was taken over by the Sapphire military in a long-forgotten war, Cobalt is a floating city that still holds scars of battle. Its people have less money than Azure and not as much culture as Cerulean, but it is still quite notable for its scientific community and technological advances. As with all other flying cities, Cobalt can only be entered through air travel. Topaz A small but rich port city, known for its seafood and illustrious liberal arts community. A large river connects Topaz with several other cities across Orphanage, giving it an air of international culture and a widespread reputation for trade and delicious foods. Emerald A small rural village with a population of roughly a hundred. It trades in fresh goods, and a lot of farms are in its vicinity. Haven Haven is the largest of all the countries, but a great majority of its landmass is inhospitable terrain, or even highly mountainous. Haven's major population centres have all ascended into large flying cities which can only be accessed by the use of airship or magic, and its population maintains only minor contact with the outside world. The smaller settlements located on Haven's soil are isolated and mostly ignored by the government, some occasionally attempting to gain independence. Sanctuary The fortress-esque capital city of Haven, raised high into the air and encased in a shield of translucent crystal. Towers and spirals peak out from the top of this giant airborne metropolis, and it has many tiers of horizontal platforms that divide the city into a literal ladder of society. At its peak is the richest and most powerful people of Haven, including the government - at the bottom lies the outcastes and poverty-stricken people clinging to the floating tips of the city. Those who die in the lower levels or are exiled are thrown off the city and fall below the clouds to the harsh environment below. This action has led Sanctuary to hold a connotation opposite that of its name, and is known to the Havenites on the ground as the "City of Nightmares". One can trace its floating trail by the crushed corpses that line the mountains behind it. It is home to King Rallis and his elite Knights of Haven. Refuge A slightly smaller skycity than Sanctuary that is nonetheless much more civilized. It contains numerous faculties for training in the art of alchemy and other magical studies. As its name implies, it is a refuge for the scientific arts, and many say that the original developers of the floating magic that goes into the skycities were scholars in Refuge's ancient halls. Asylum A skycity that flies lower than the others. It is the most easily accessible for those seeking access into the skycities, but it is also largely corrupt and impoverished due to its scant government support. It is the only skycity that touches down on the ground a few times a year in order to gain more passengers and let others free onto the earth below. Harbor The final skycity, which floats in-between all the others. It connects floating steams of energy to the other skycities, allowing of quicker travel between them via use of magical transportation for mages skilled enough. It is also the only skycity that has energylines to the rest of the world, gifting Harbor with a gigantic population and a bustling trade center that sells goods from across Orphanage. Unfortunately, such a burden has been bringing harm to the city's infrastructure lately, and there are those who worry for the safety of Harbor's inhabitants, especially since the Haven government seems to care very little about such matters. Thresher A small country with little political stability. Riots, chaos and death are constants for the population after a large government coup more than forty years ago, and the nation is torn between jaded rebels, opportunistic criminals, and fearful innocents caught between the war. Outside countries try their best not to have any involvement with Thresher at all, and entrance into the country is even more difficult than travel into Haven. Reaper Thresher's capital city, although all political power in the area has ceased to exist for a long time. Now it is a city on three fronts, split between territory of rebels and criminals, the battlegrounds of the two in the ghettos, and the tense middleground made up of those unrelated to the fighting. Though "Reaper" is not the city's original name, it has become called only this because of the numerous graves that have spread out from the full graveyards into miscellaneous parts of the city. Harvester A small city where produce and other goods are grown and then sold to the rest of the country. It is one of the few civilized parts of the nation, although recent expenditures and exponentially bolder efforts from both the rebels and the criminals have sought to change this. Combine This city was originally two towns of those unrelated to the political coup, which expanded years back and joined together into a larger settlement in order to bolster defenses. Now, it is one of the few havens safe from warfare, and because of its proximity to the national border, it is one of the only places smugglers will bother trying to infiltrate - or escape from - Thresher. Dune The smallest the five countries, it is landlocked by every country except Thresher. Its culture is largely influenced by its neighbouring nations. It has a strong military and a large number of natural resources, with the exception of water, but it is considered the politically weakest country. Ridge Dune's capital city, located near two separate borders. Sandback A medium-sized fortified town surrounded by desert. It is closest to Mustang. Cliff A city built into a large cliff, located near the border to Haven. Miscellaneous Cruor Caverns 0's base. Tourmaline Peaks A mountain range comprising part of the border between Haven and Sapphire. Home of Avilis. Vel Vitrum The sea between Orphanage and Vanahein.